Iowa State senior Melvin Ejim has earned Capital One Academic All-America First Team honors, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Ejim, a Toronto, Ontario native, joins his head coach Fred Hoiberg as the only Iowa State men’s basketball players to earn Academic All-America First Team accolades. Hoiberg was a first-teamer in 1995 and earned second team honors in 1994.

Ejim is the 11th Big 12 student-athlete to earn academic recognition since the league began play in 1996-97 and the sixth on the first team. He has been a star for Iowa State in the classroom and on the court. The history major boasts a 3.70 GPA, while also working toward earning a business minor. Ejim is a member of the prestigious Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honors Society and in 2013 was named the inaugural Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

On the basketball court, Ejim has helped guide No. 17 Iowa State to a 20-5 record. He is leading the Big 12 in scoring with 19.1 points per game and ranks second with 8.6 rebounds per game. A two-time All-Big 12 Conference selection, Ejim has 30 career double-doubles. A four-year starter, he has scored 1,478 points and grabbed 963 rebounds in his career.